New York City Really Has It All
by hopelessromantic0707
Summary: New Directions goes to Nationals in New York City. Not just Finn/Rachel, there's Puck/Quinn, Tina/Artie and Will/Emma, with minor appearances by everyone else.


**Author's Note: This is the longest piece I've ever written and I'm extremely proud of it. The POV switches back and forth between different characters, but I made the transitions fairly easy to follow.**

**In case anyone is wondering, the song Will sings to Emma on the plane is called "Run Away with Me". YouTube it…you'll melt! Also, the idea for Quinn's grandmother came from a Chris Colfer interview I recently watched. When asked about guest stars he would like to have on the show, his response was Julie Andrews. I thought that would be absolutely amazing...so she was the inspiration behind the character. I feel like I should also explain my choice of A*Teens "Upside Down". I had a dream the other night which involved the Glee charaters creating a number using that song. I thought it was hilarious and would fit well with this.**

**As always, I own nothing except the plot.**

**The title is taken from "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" by The Ramones (love them)!**

**Enjoy and please review (especially if you like it enough to favorite it)!**

Rachel Berry woke with a start as the piano-driven melody of "New York State of Mind" reverberated through her quiet bedroom. Turning toward the sound, she caught sight of the digital readout on her iHome; it read 5:15 a.m. Why on earth had she set her alarm for such an early hour and what had made her decide that Billy Joel was appropriate fare for a wake-up call? After a few seconds of contemplation, Rachel had her answer. New Directions was going to Nationals; the competition was being held in New York City the day after Thanksgiving. This was going to be her first trip to New York and she was ecstatic, to say the very least.

She had even prepared a detailed itinerary for each day of the trip but had made the mistake of leaving it in her American History textbook the day before. Finn had asked if he could borrow it (he'd forgotten his at Puck and Quinn's apartment) and, being the dependable girlfriend that she was, Rachel had said yes without batting an eyelash. As Finn was searching for the chapter on WWII, Rachel spotted her itinerary sticking out from between the pages. She made a casual comment about having to check a date, grabbed the book out of Finn's hands and hastily hid the paper behind her back. Despite her attempts at stealth, Finn noticed the rapid movement and asked what she was hiding. She wouldn't give it up, so he'd had to resort to an underhanded trick: tickling her until she couldn't breathe. When her grip had slipped, the paper falling to the floor, Finn had picked it up immediately. Glancing at it, he'd laughed. "Forget it, Rach. Nobody's going to want to take a tour of Idina Menzel's loft." The itinerary had gone in the nearest trashcan after that because he was right.

"Rachel, come on! Finn just pulled up!" one of her dads shouted up the stairs, breaking into her thoughts.

"Coming!" She raced down the steps, dragging her oversized suitcase behind her.

"I thought I told you that the first rule of packing is 'less is more'," her dad scolded affectionately, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Daddy, I'm a very indecisive person, you know that." She clapped a hand to her mouth, barely suppressing a laugh as he attempted to carry her luggage out the front door. She loved her father dearly, but he was a 35 year old executive at a PR firm in Cincinnati who was lucky if he weighed 120 lbs. The garbage was the heaviest thing he could lift without straining himself.

"I can get that, Mr. Berry." Finn's voice preceded him opening the screen door and coming inside.

"Holy crap, did you put bricks in here? We're only going for five days." Wrapping his arms around the monstrosity she called a suitcase, Finn grunted in surprise as he too tried, and failed, to carry it out the door.

"Women will always be the superior sex," Rachel said, coming over and extracting a handle from the top of the large bag before rolling it down the porch steps and onto the driveway with relative ease.

"You coming, Finn?" He had yet to move from his spot on the porch. He seemed to be lost in thought, probably trying to figure out how she had known about the handle.

Finally, Rachel had to come back onto the porch and wave her hand in front of his face. "Earth to Finn." She laughed. "We have to get going."

"Right." He snapped to attention and bounded down the steps. "See you later, Mr. Berry," he called over his shoulder, rolling Rachel's suitcase toward his car.

"Bye, Daddy," Rachel said, frustrated by the tears that burned behind her eyes as she tuned to give her father a hug.

"Call me as soon as you land. Make sure you conference Dad in too."

Rachel nodded, kissed her father's cheek, and climbed into the front seat of Finn's Honda CR-V.

****

As Finn merged onto I-75, Rachel squeezed her eyes shut, holding the door handle in a vice-like grip. She had known he liked to drive above the speed limit but, when one added in his need to change lanes every couple of minutes, the effect was dizzying.

"Why did Mr. Schuester book our flight out of Dayton when we live in Lima?" she wondered aloud.

"No idea," Finn said, turning on his blinker for the seventy-fifth time since they'd gotten on the road (yes, she was counting). "Do you think we'd be late if we stopped at McDonald's? I'm starving."

Glancing at her watch, Rachel shook her head. It was already 6:25. The flight didn't leave until 8:30 but they still had about forty-five minutes left to drive, plus checking the car into the parking lot, airport security and boarding the plane. "We really don't have time, Finn."

She held up her fingers, ticking off her reasons that they couldn't get breakfast. After the first two, Finn broke in. "Egg McMuffins."

She continued with her list, trying to ignore him.

"Breakfast burritos."

She sighed. "Finn, for the last time, we cannot stop at McDonald's!"

He continued on, seemingly unaware that Rachel's list had ceased. "Sausage McGriddles, hashbrowns, oh and those foofy coffee things you like."

At the mention of coffee, Rachel's head shot up. She hated to admit it, but a latte sounded amazing. She glanced over at Finn. He had noticed the change in her body language and was already signaling to get off at the next exit.

"Ten minutes. That's all we can spare."

~*~

Noah Puckerman's black pickup screeched to a stop inches before running over the curb in front of Dayton International Airport. "Shit, sorry guys." He turned his head to look in the back seat and saw that his six-month-old daughter, Grace, was still sleeping soundly despite the sudden stop. The same could not be said for Quinn. She was staring daggers at him from the passenger seat.

Once she was fully awake, Quinn was able to see the clock; it was 7:30. That meant that they had fifteen minutes to get through security and make it to the gate for Mr. Schuester's roll call. Crap.

Puck had gotten Grace dressed while she had taken a shower and all three were ready to leave twenty minutes _before _they'd planned. However, when Puck went out to warm up the truck, he discovered he didn't have his keys. The resulting search had lasted half an hour (the majority of their stuff was thrown on various surfaces in the apartment; unpacking was not a big priority compared to Grace, school, work and Glee). Quinn finally found them buried in a pile of clean laundry she had yet to put away.

Quinn opened her door, ready to get Grace out of her seat. When she exited the car, she saw that Grace was already cradled in Puck's arms and he was trying to feed her legs through the baby carrier strapped to his chest.

"Why don't you put her in the stroller?" From the look that crossed Puck's face, Quinn could tell he wasn't going to budge on the stroller issue.

Every time one of them tried to put Grace in the thing, she screamed bloody murder. Quinn usually held out fifteen minutes or so before picking the hysterical baby up and comforting her. Puck's record was a grand total of five minutes. As soon as Grace began to wail, Puck would look at Quinn with wide eyes that said "_Can't I pick her up?_" and he looked so distraught that she would give in.

~*~

By the time they reached the security checkpoint ten minutes later, Quinn was light-headed and out of breath. Running through the airport, carting the majority of their luggage with her, had knocked the wind out of her.

Setting the bags on the conveyor belt with a loud thump, she leaned against it and tried to get oxygen back into her lungs. As she stood in line breathing heavily, Quinn recalled that the person in front of her had been startled by the sound of the bags clattering against metal.

In an attempt to apologize to said person, she tapped her lightly on the shoulder. The girl spun around and Quinn was surprised to find herself face to face with Rachel.

"Rachel? It's 7:45. Roll call's like now."

Rachel shrugged. "Yeah, we're running a bit late. Obviously."

The security line moved forward as someone stepped through the metal detector. "Did you guys hit traffic?" Quinn asked, bending down to take off her flats.

"Not exactly. We…um…stopped at McDonald's." Rachel hurriedly removed her shoes, staring at the floor.

A smile played on Quinn's lips. If Rachel thought food was more important than being on time for something Glee-related, Finn really was rubbing off on her. "McDonald's breakfast burritos are awesome." She couldn't think of anything else to say and, besides, that was the truth.

"You want one?" Rachel dug around in her purse, eventually coming up with the neatly wrapped package. "Finn got six. This is the last one and the security people throw away food."

Quinn nodded mutely, afraid to speak for fear of bursting into laughter.

~*~

Quinn shoved the last of her breakfast burrito in her mouth seconds before stepping through the metal detector. Puck came up behind her. "Where did we put her pacifier?" He nodded toward Grace; she was on the verge of falling asleep.

Quinn tried to respond but it came out as an incoherent stream of syllables due to the half-eaten food.

"Real attractive, Quinn." Puck had begun patting his pockets, looking for the missing pacifier.

She was miming various things to him but they were beyond his comprehension. Swallowing her food, Quinn said, "It's in your back pocket."

"I looked already. It's not…"

Quinn made a strangled noise of exasperation, reaching into the back pocket of Puck's jeans and producing an Abby Caddabby pacifier. "Really? Then this is just a figment of my imagination?"

"No need to be snarky."

Collecting their bags, Quinn and Puck made a beeline for the spot where Finn and Rachel were waiting.

They double-checked the gate and departure time, walking leisurely in the right direction. Roll call was probably over by now, so there was no need to rush.

"Mr. Schue is not going to be happy about our tardiness." Rachel's voice cut through the companionable silence. "We need to come up with a strategy."

Puck was about to object, but thought better of it. He didn't want to wake Grace. Quinn rolled her eyes and Finn mouthed "Sorry". Rachel was oblivious to all of this.

"I think our best bet is to say that we were following each other and Finn's GPS got us lost."

The others all chorused, "Sounds great!"

"If you don't want to use my excuse…" Rachel stopped dead and pointed above her head.

There was a gigantic digital clock mounted on the wall above them. It was 8:10. Their flight left in twenty minutes. Exchanging shocked glances, they all broke into a run.

~*~

Quinn snorted, trying to stifle a laugh. They were half an hour into the two hour flight to New York. She had her Macbook open on her knees and _10 Things I Hate About You _was on the screen. She had earbuds in (to cover Puck's snoring as well as listen to the movie) but was wary that the noises she was making would wake him and Grace.

The flight attendant had said that it was unsafe for Grace to stay strapped in the baby carrier during the flight so Puck had to wake her. She was fussy so he'd kept her in his lap.

When she'd started to fade again a few minutes later, he'd transferred her to his other arm and gently moved her so her head was resting against his shoulder. Puck had drifted off soon after; his arms had tightened around Grace's tiny body, holding her securely even in his sleep.

Quinn looked at both of them now and smiled. Her daughter was definitely a daddy's girl.

The baby's head had slid slightly, hanging over Puck's arm. Quinn reached over and moved her back into her original position. Snapping her laptop shut, Quinn decided to take a nap as well. She leaned against Puck's arm and let her eyelids drift closed.

//*//

Will Schuester smiled to himself as he watched Quinn's eyes shut across the aisle. She was exhausted. All the kids were, but he was overjoyed that everyone had made the flight (Finn, Rachel, Puck and Quinn had cut it dangerously close though, earning themselves a lecture on the merits of punctuality from Emma).

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Emma's condition had not changed. Upon boarding the plane, Emma had started to hyperventilate. She'd assured him that this happened all the time (planes were filled with hidden germs) and it would get better as the flight went on. All she needed was a paper bag to help with her breathing.

Will tried his best to give her space and not offer unwanted help; he went over the set list, made some alterations to the harmonies in one of the pieces and added an extra step ball change to the choreography. It was clear the situation had to be dealt with as soon as possible if he wanted Emma to enjoy the remainder of the flight.

"Hey, Em. You ok?" He felt stupid asking this because the answer was clear, but he could see no other way to start the conversation.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, great, actually." The sincerity behind Emma's words was genuine though her voice wavered slightly as she spoke. She was beginning to get agitated again and grabbed for the paper bag she had set down in front of her.

Will had an idea; he would distract her. Grasping her hand inches before it touched the bag caused Emma to look up at him. As their eyes met, he began to sing.

_I'm not good with words_

_But that's nothing new_

_Still I have to try to explain what I want to do_

_With you…_

_With you_

_Run away with me_

_Let me be your ride out of town_

_Let me be the place that you hide_

_We can make our lives on the go_

_Run away with me_

_Texas in the summer is cool_

_We'll be on the road like Jack Kerouac_

_Looking back _

_You're ready_

_Let's go_

_Anywhere_

_Get the car packed and throw me the key_

_Run away with me_

"That was beautiful, Will," Emma breathed, her raging OCD forgotten for the moment.

"I can't take credit for it; it's from _The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown_. I figured you might like it." He shrugged. "If you need me to sing it again just let me know, okay?"

She nodded and he squeezed her hand as she turned to stare out the window at the cloudless sky.

//*//

Three hours later, Will was standing in the lobby of the Holiday Inn on 57th Street, the kids forming a half-circle around him. "Okay, guys. Ms. Pillsbury's going to give out your room assignments." Emma stepped around him, took a sheet of paper out of her bag and began to read.

"Santana, Mercedes. Tina, Brittany. Quinn, Rachel." After the names were called, each pair of girls came forward to collect their room keys. Will noticed that Mercedes was gritting her teeth, biting back an argument about being placed with Santana.

Rachel helped Quinn try to comfort Grace (the baby was definitely not happy in her stroller) as the two made their way down the hall to the elevator.

Brittany leaned over to Tina and whispered, "If you're Goth, does that mean you sacrifice animals?"

Tina stared at her, open-mouthed, for a few seconds before putting an arm around her shoulder. "It's all about the make-up and the attitude. You'll see."

Will turned back to the remaining members of the club as Emma began reading off the list once again.

"Mike, Finn. Kurt, Matt. Puck, Artie." The boys thanked Emma as she gave out the last of the key cards. Will could tell that Kurt was disappointed about his room assignment but placing him with his first choice would have been too awkward. All his other choices had been girls and, since this was a school-sponsored trip, that was against the rules.

Puck offered to carry Artie's luggage and they walked off discussing the chord progressions in "Bohemian Rhapsody". Finn and Mike had wandered off in search of an extension cord for Finn's Playstation as soon as they had their key.

"Come on." Will gestured for Emma to follow him out of the hotel.

"Where are we going?" Emma buttoned her coat tightly against the frigid November wind. The sky was the shade of gray that she found usually heralded snow in the near future.

"We're going to experience a wonder of New York City known as the 'dirty water dog'."

She cringed at the name and he chuckled. "Trust me. It's way better than it sounds."

--*--

Artie rolled down the hall from his room to Tina's, the wheels of his chair sinking slightly in the plush carpet. He could hear the sound of a hairdryer coming through the door as he knocked.

Brittany swung open the door a minute later and Artie could only gape at her; he was speechless.

She was wearing dark red lipstick, copious amounts of eyeliner and cobalt blue eye shadow. Her long blond hair now had several streaks of pink running through it and her attire consisted of a plaid skirt and a long-sleeved black shirt, complete with a skull and thumb holes.

"You like?" Brittany twirled gracefully to give him a full view of her outfit.

"Most definitely! Is Tina here?"

"Yep." Brittany sidestepped to give him enough room to make it through the doorframe.

Tina was standing in the middle of the room putting on mascara.

"You ready to go?"

Tina nodded, grabbing her purse off the bed and coming over to kiss him on the cheek in greeting.

"See you later, Brittany," they called in unison, turning to leave. She gave them an enthusiastic wave before turning to examine her new hair more closely in the mirror.

--*--

"The Guggenheim is at 5th and 89th, right?" Artie was pleased that he sounded like a true New Yorker as he asked the bus driver his question.

The man nodded kindly, helping Artie off the ramp and onto the bus.

Artie and Tina spent the thirty minute bus ride downtown chatting easily about school, movies, snack foods, anything they could think of, really. When Artie said he could do a rather stellar impression of Janice from _Friends_, Tina begged him to show her.

He hadn't noticed her taking a sip of the Coke she held in her hand just before he began.

"Oh, my God! Chandler Bing!" Artie stopped short as liquid hit his glasses. He lifted his head and saw that Tina had sprayed her mouthful of Coke everywhere because she was laughing so hard.

"I'm so sorry, Artie!" Tina gasped, the words streaming together because she was out of breath.

"It's not a problem, Tina. I'm glad you thought it was funny." He took off his glasses, rubbing them against his shirt a few times to wipe away the droplets of soda.

"Totally." Tina cringed. "I've been rooming with her less than fifteen hours and Brittany has already started to invade my head."

--*--

"Wow." Tina took in the sight before her with awe. All of the available wall space was covered with paintings, sculptures and photography- this she'd expected. The structure of the building itself was the surprise. The entire place was one big ramp; there were no stairs.

"My dad said I should check this place out. Now I understand why." Artie rolled over to where the word evil was printed on the floor in giant black lettering. Leaning down to take a closer look, he saw a flash go off somewhere near him. His suspicions were confirmed when he righted himself to find Tina hovering nearby with her camera.

He glared at her playfully and she winked. "Documentation is the key to a successful trip."

"Shall we test the aerodynamics of some of these ramps?" he asked, wheeling himself to stand beside her.

"I thought you'd never ask." Coming up behind him, she grabbed the handles on the back of his chair, pushing him up the nearest ramp. Once they'd reached the top, Tina climbed gently onto his lap.

Hands on wheels, Artie was about to send them hurling down the ramp when he heard Tina whisper, "This has been amazing, Artie." He was pretty sure that the free-fall feeling he felt a moment later wasn't just from the high speed at which they were traveling.

****

Finn woke to someone knocking incessantly on the door of his hotel room. As he got up to answer it, Mike gurgled in some semblance of protest and pulled a pillow over his head.

Finn swung open the door seconds before Rachel, having been in mid-knock, fell on top of him.

"Hey, Rach," Finn wheezed. "Where's the fire?"

"That's not funny. Why aren't you dressed?" She got to her feet, glowering at him in typical "Rachel's pissed" fashion. The glare was a combination of Judy Garland and Hilary Clinton and it was lethal. A lesser man would have folded immediately but Finn had seen it so many times it no longer scared him.

"Um…because it's six a.m. on Thanksgiving. Is there a reason I should be dressed?" He pushed himself up to a sitting position but remained on the floor.

"The parade starts at nine. We're meeting Noah and Quinn in the lobby in…" she glanced at her watch. "…ten minutes." When he didn't move, she made an exaggerated gesture toward the closet.

"Can't we watch it on TV?"

Rachel gasped. "I'm going to pretend that you did not just say that. We are in New York City. This is a once in a lifetime experience so, no Finn, we're not watching it on TV."

"Fine," Finn said easily. "Give me two minutes to throw on some clothes and we'll be all good."

****

Rachel climbed the stairs of the subway station at 42nd Street and Times Square and shook out her shoulders in disgust. She wasn't usually paranoid about germs but the subway station had left her feeling skeevy. She resolved to be as kind to Ms. Pillsbury as humanly possible from now on because the poor woman was suffering daily if she went through life feeling like Rachel did at the moment.

Collecting herself, Rachel walked a few steps, found a semi-quiet area behind a barricade and began unloading things from the massive tote bag that hung from her arm. "This seems like a good spot."

Puck, Finn and Quinn nodded in agreement, all too tired to care about much besides staying awake.

****

_This may not have been the best idea_, Rachel thought to herself as another person elbowed her in the ribs while jockeying for a spot. The parade had come into view about five minutes before and people seemed to be going insane with the desire to see it. Limbs were flying everywhere and, every couple of minutes, new people would appear out of nowhere. They were now able to see.

Rachel looped her arm through Finn's in an effort to gain some stability. He looked down at her and smiled, making sure to keep one hand securely around Grace's waist.

At the start of the parade, Finn decided that Grace wouldn't be able to see anything from her vantage point in the stroller. He'd promptly picked her up and placed her on his shoulders. Quinn seemed nervous at first, but Rachel could see that she and Puck were watching the parade, secure in Finn's ability to take care of their daughter for a while.

"Look, Gracie." Finn tapped the baby's leg to get her attention. "Who's that?"

Rachel followed his pointing finger and saw that the Abby Caddabby balloon was making its way down the street. She was Grace's favorite Sesame Street character.

Finn was in the middle of demonstrating to Grace that the big balloon was Abby Caddabby (using her pacifier as a visual aid), when Rachel heard a female voice yell, "Move, bitch!"

Seconds later, a startled cry from Quinn reached her ears. She whacked Finn on the arm a few times to get his attention and they moved toward where Puck and Quinn had been standing.

Puck was kneeling beside Quinn, who was sprawled awkwardly on the cement.

"What happened, Noah?" Rachel asked.

Puck was seething. He could only motion toward the woman in the fur-lined parka who had moved into their spot and mutter obscenities under his breath.

"Since it seems Puck is speechless…" Quinn paused to shake her head and laugh, "…that lovely human being over there used her body as a freaking battering ram to be able to see a bunch of balloons."

Puck was no longer kneeling beside her. He was three inches behind the bitchy woman, about to pull the hood of her jacket over her head.

"Help me up," Quinn hissed to Rachel. "He's going to get his ass kicked or be arrested for assault." Rachel placed a hand under Quinn's elbow and yanked her to her feet.

As Quinn took a step, she yelped in pain, crumpling to the ground and clutching her ankle. Rachel rushed over and bent down next to her, whispering something indistinct.

Taking in this whole scene, Finn put Grace in her stroller and wheeled her toward Puck. Puck's arm was poised just above the woman's hood when Finn grabbed him by it and pulled him away.

"Dude, what is your problem?" Puck shoved Finn backwards once he loosened his grip.

"I didn't want you to get arrested." Finn shrugged. "Rachel would've made us all chip in to post your bail and I don't have the money for that."

Walking back to where he had left the girls a few minutes earlier, Finn was surprised to find that they were not there. He spun around in a circle, trying to catch sight of them.

He must have put a bit too much enthusiasm into the spinning because the stroller he still held went flying through a group of unsuspecting French tourists. Luckily, Puck had taken Grace out of it already; she babbled from the safety of his arms, as if she were congratulating the stroller on causing problems.

Finn went over to get the runaway stroller and was berated by an elderly French woman for a good ten minutes. He couldn't understand a word she was saying but the anger in her face made her message clear enough. He blushed, apologizing profusely as he backed away.

****

While all the stroller drama was going down with the boys, Rachel and Quinn were in line at a Starbucks on the corner of 44th and Broadway. That was as far as they could make it before Rachel had started to look like she was going to pass out.

"Can I get a grande gingerbread latte with an extra shot and…" She looked toward Quinn, who was having a hard time balancing on one foot and had slumped against the wall.

"I'll have a venti chai latte please." Quinn stood to give the cashier her money and winced as she put pressure on her foot.

~*~

"How am I going to do our choreography like this?" Quinn gestured angrily at her foot, propped on an extra chair (Rachel had insisted she keep it elevated after seeing how swollen it was).

Rachel stared at someone giving them a nasty look (the girls were occupying a table for handicapped customers; it had more room than the regular ones) before answering. "You still have to compete; without you, we'd be disqualified." She drummed her fingers on the table, thinking through the various possibilities.

"I've got it!" she finally shrieked, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and typing furiously on the keyboard.

"Who are you texting?" Quinn was kind of nervous; whenever Rachel had brilliant ideas, they usually spelled trouble, at least in the short run.

Rachel started to respond but was interrupted as "Defying Gravity" erupted from her phone. She snatched it up immediately and squealed with delight at the message on the screen. "Thank God!"

Quinn grabbed the phone and scrolled to the recent messages.

**Hey Artie…Did you bring your spare wheelchair by any chance? Quinn sprained her ankle so her dancing tomorrow will pretty much be hobbling unless we do something…**

Quinn shot a hate-filled glare across the table at Rachel before reading Artie's reply.

**That sucks! Poor Quinn…yes, I brought my other chair just in case something happened with my normal one. She can use it if she wants…I could teach her the steps later today.**

Quinn pulled out her phone to call Artie and thank him. Glancing at it, she saw that she had a missed call from her grandmother. Why would her grandmother be calling her when no one else in her family was talking to her?

She decided to find out as soon as possible. Telling Rachel she had something she needed to take care of (refusing her many offers to help), Quinn hopped to the bathroom.

Locking the door behind her, Quinn dialed her grandmother's number before taking a seat on the lid of the toilet.

"Quinn, darling." She smiled as her grandmother's mellow, British-accented voice came over the line.

"Hey, Grandma. I saw you called. Was there something you wanted?" She said a silent prayer that her father hadn't decided to tell his mother about the extent to which she'd disgraced the Fabray family name.

"I think the way your parents have been treating you is utterly disgraceful. I called your father and told him as much the other evening."

Quinn was so shocked she almost dropped her phone. Her grandmother- the quintessential model of upper-class British society- had, for all intents and purposes, just forgiven her for what she'd done.

"He told me you would be in New York for Thanksgiving- said he'd read about it in the local newspaper, for God's sake…his own daughter. Since I live in the city now, I thought you and your friends might like to join me for Thanksgiving dinner."

Quinn felt the urge to pinch herself to make sure that this was really happening.

"Um…sure, Grandma. I'll have to check with everyone first but I don't think we have other plans."

"Excellent, my dear. My apartment building is at Park and 96th. I will expect you all at three o'clock. I cannot wait to see you."

~*~

Quinn hung up, unlocked the door and did an awkward hop-skip move back to the table.

"Everything ok?" Rachel asked, seeing the surprised look on her face.

"My grandma wants us all to have Thanksgiving dinner with her."

Rachel was in the midst of sending a mass-text to everyone informing them of the plans for that night when Quinn's phone began to play "White Sky" by Vampire Weekend and Puck's name flashed across the screen.

She picked up as the second verse began. "H--" She held the phone away from her ear as Puck began to chew her out. "We're fine. Yes, Rachel's with me…where else would she be?" Quinn rolled her eyes at the stupidity of men.

"We went to the Starbucks on the corner of 44th and Broadway." She paused and listened for a minute before saying, "Ok. See you when you get here." and snapping her phone shut.

"In case you couldn't hear him, Puck said they'll be right over." Both girls burst into laughter at the absurdity of their respective boyfriends.

~*~

Once they'd gotten back to the hotel (around eleven thirty), Puck had wrapped her ankle. He'd learned how to do it freshman year, the athletic trainer for the football team taught him.

She'd had to assure him that, despite being on the Cheerios for two years, she'd never sprained her ankle before today. She still wasn't sure that he believed her.

Mr. Schue found her a pair of crutches in the hotel's lost and found (she didn't really understand that one). It had taken her a while to feel comfortable using them but, once she got the hang of it, it wasn't that difficult. After about half an hour on them, though, Quinn's arms were killing her; apparently, crutches required great upper-body strength.

~*~

Quinn hopped through the hotel lobby, slowly making her way toward the gym. She and Artie were meeting there to go over choreography. As she walked in the room, Artie looked up and smiled.

"Hey." He swept his arm out in the direction of the wheelchair sitting next to him. "Here she is."

"Thank you again for doing this, Artie. You're a lifesaver." Quinn sighed as she sank down into the seat.

"Not a problem. I'm always happy to share my expertise. You ready to do this thang?"

Quinn did a neat, tight circle in the chair and flung her arms in the air like she was sticking a landing in gymnastics. "Ready!"

//*//

Getting twelve teenagers and two adults into three taxis shouldn't be a difficult task. For some reason, the Glee kids had trouble with this concept. Everyone kept changing cabs, running back into the hotel to grab something forgotten, or stopping to apply more makeup.

By the time they had all been properly loaded and made it across town to Park Avenue, it was three twenty. Will went up the front steps and the doorman immediately asked who he wanted to see.

He stepped out of the way and Quinn came forward. "We're guests of Eleanor Fabray."

The doorman nodded before speaking into the phone on his desk.

"You can go on up," he said after a moment, waving them forward.

//*//

Will had never eaten so much incredible food in his life. There was turkey and duck, four different types of stuffing, and countless vegetable dishes, not to mention the pies, cakes and petit fours.

"Thank you so much for having us, Mrs. Fabray." Emma was seated next to him and, as she spoke, she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Following her remark, a chorus of "thank you" could be heard down the length of the table. Finn let out a grunt of pain and Will looked in his direction.

Finn's mouth was full of food and it appeared Rachel had kicked him, hard, under cover of the table for not joining in with a thank you.

"It is quite alright." Quinn's grandmother looked up from giving Grace a bottle. "I do have one small favor to ask of you all. Would you be willing to do a little "concert" after dinner at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital?"

The answer was a unanimous, "Definitely!"

//*//

"Hey, guys! We've got a great show planned for you tonight." Will spoke confidently into the microphone, looking out from his spot on stage at the eager faces of the Columbia-Pres children's ward. "So, without further ado, here's New Directions!"

As applause erupted from the audience, Will took his seat in the front row beside Emma.

Finn and Rachel came out first. Rachel sat in the chair someone had placed in the middle of the stage as Finn walked by her and began to sing.

_You wait, little girl _

_On an empty stage _

_For fate to turn the light on_

_Your life, little girl_

_Is an empty page_

_That men will want to write on_

Will watched as Rachel leaned seductively toward Finn and sang, "_To write on_…" The chemistry those two had on stage was amazing. They twirled, spun and sang their way flawlessly through the rest of the song. Rachel had drilled the routine into Finn's head, half-heartedly threatening to smash his Playstation to smithereens if he screwed it up.

//*//

Next up were Quinn and Puck. They walked out holding hands and Puck kissed her lightly. Quinn spun away from him (as much as one can spin while on crutches).

_Take this pink ribbon off my eyes  
I'm exposed  
And it's no big surprise  
Don't you think I know  
Exactly where I stand  
This world is forcing me  
To hold your hand _

_  
'Cause I'm just a girl, little ol' me  
Don't let me out of your sight  
I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite  
So don't let me have any rights_

She had Youtubed the music video before they'd left Eleanor's apartment and was copying Gwen Stefani's moves perfectly. Quinn ended her verses, making it seem like she was about to leave the stage. Putting a hand on her arm to stop her, Puck strummed his guitar a few times before he started his song.

_Come out Virginia, don't let me wait  
You Catholic girls start much too late  
But sooner or later it comes down to fate  
I might as well be the one_

_They showed you a statue, told you to pray  
They built you a temple and locked you away  
But they never told you the price that you pay  
For things that you might have done.....  
Only the good die young  
That's what I said_

Quinn joined in with the last line of her song as he finished.

_I'm just a girl  
Only the good die young _

The music faded and they walked off hand in hand once again.

//*//

Will was flabbergasted by the group's choice for the finale number. They'd rushed to assure him that it would appeal to a younger audience. In reality, he knew that most of the kids on this floor were probably too young to remember this song, but he let it slide. Everyone was enjoying themselves and that was what mattered. He couldn't hide the smile and bit of a laugh that came as the backing music began. Emma nervously shushed him.

Quinn and Rachel walked onstage, followed by the rest of the girls. They had put together their own choreography for the beginning of the number; it was a school day and they were walking down the hall, chatting with each other.

Quinn and Rachel suddenly faced the audience. They started to sing and the other girls added in the backup vocals.

_My grades are down from A's to D's  
I'm way behind in history  
I lost myself in fantasies  
Of you and me together_

_I don't know why - I - I but dreaming's all I do  
I won't get by-I-I on mere imagination_

The boys came out for the chorus. Mike had found a tutorial for the dance online and had guided them through it, step by step. Somehow they appeared to have gotten it all together.

_Upside down  
Bouncing off the ceiling  
Inside out  
Stranger to this feeling  
Got no clue what I should do  
But I'll go crazy if I can't get next to you_

Mercedes added a last "To you…" as the music ended and everyone struck a pose.

//*//

Nationals was a blur of activity. The tension in the air was palpable. Rachel had almost fainted (Finn hadn't been happy about having to slap her, but it worked) and Brittany couldn't stop laughing. She said it was a nervous habit.

Will took his seat next to Emma and smiled at the picture before him. She had Grace on her lap and was talking to her about the importance of antibacterial soap. This had been an interesting trip but, as the lights went down, he realized that he wouldn't change a second of it.

_A blue-eyed boy and a brown-eyed girl… _


End file.
